Abhishek Sharma no more a slogger? Mohammad Amir clarifies controversial remark [Exclusive]
Abhishek Sharma (Source: X/@BCCI)
Published - 06 Nov 2026, 12:34 PM• Read time - 2 mins
Former Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir has backtracked on his statement calling India batter Abhishek Sharma a ‘slogger’. Amir had famously reduced Abhishek to a mere ‘slogger’ of a cricket ball on a Pakistani TV channel amid his poor run in the T20 World Cup 2026.
Abhishek Sharma had a disastrous start to his World Cup campaign, having got dismissed for three successive ducks in the first three matches. He finally scored his first runs against South Africa but was again dismissed for a low score of 15 (12).
His dismal run had sparked sharp criticism in the cricketing fraternity as his inability to start well against the off spinners inside the powerplay led to his continuous downfall. Mohammad Amir, who had also launched a scathing attack on Abhishek, has now given a clarification on his remark, saying that it was blown out of proportion.
“People took it in the wrong manner. In English, it’s called slogging, but in Urdu is called ‘chalana’ (swinging the bat). He swings at every ball, doesn’t play the waiting game. Players like him bat with a risky approach. That’s what I meant,” Amir told Mr Cricket UAE founder Anis Sajan in an exclusive conversation.
After a quiet start, Abhishek finally hit his first half-century of the tournament in his fifth match against Zimbabwe, scoring 55 (30) in Chennai, smashing four fours and as many sixes. He again had two more quiet outings against West Indies (10 off 11) and England (9 off 8).
Abhishek reclaims no 1 spot in T20I batters' ranking
However, he redeemed himself in the final against New Zealand, playing a blistering innings of 52 (21 balls), clobbering six fours and three sixes. The southpaw got involved in a massive 98-run opening stand with Sanju Samson (89 off 46) off just 43 balls that helped India post a massive score of 255/5 and eventually win by 96 runs.
Meanwhile, Abhishek has continued his remarkable rise in T20Is and even recently shattered the record for the fastest T20I century by a batter from a full-member nation, reaching the milestone in just 30 balls against Afghanistan in Delhi. He also reclaimed the top spot in the ICC T20I batting rankings.